


Murderer

by a_star_trekked_sherlockian



Category: Atlantis (UK TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-18
Updated: 2013-11-18
Packaged: 2018-01-02 00:09:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1050214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_star_trekked_sherlockian/pseuds/a_star_trekked_sherlockian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's not a mystery how Pythagoras's father died anymore. However it is a mystery to Pythagoras why Jason didn't just let him die too. Find out why Jason saved him and maybe, in Pythagoras's mind, it's not the first time he's done so. [Just some hard Pythagoras feels to let yourself get emotional about. One-shot.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Murderer

The two boys sat in silence. One with dark hair and one with blonde. The two did not need to speak in order to understand each other nowadays. It was the benefit of them being so sat cross-legged on their bed with their hands interlocked with each other. The silence consumed the two but it was not awkward. It was an understanding silence between them as Jason occasionally squeezed Pythagoras' hands to comfort him.

Arcas had left Atlantis that evening but Pythagoras had not brightened up. He was quiet all night and just held onto a least one of Jason's hands at all times. It was a comfort if nothing else. He had not wanted to speak about anything but Jason had promised he would be by his side until he did.

Jason let his mind wander to the whereabouts of Hercules. As soon as they arrived back in the city he had disappeared to "see Medusa" but Jason didn't believe this. There was no doubt in his mind that Hercules had gone straight to the tavern and was now drinking himself into oblivion. The sudden crash of a door flinging open proved Jason's theory to be true. Well, either that or they had got a rather conspicuous burglar that night. He strained his neck to peer through the doorway as he watched Hercules stumble across the room and hopelessly try to find his chambers. He patted across the wall to guide himself and then he flopped, face down, onto the mattress. A muffled snore resonated through the house that clearly told Jason that he was out cold.

"I did not mean to do it..." Spoke Pythagoras in a quiet voice. He stared at his lap the whole time but his grip on Jason's hands tightened a little.

"I know you didn't." Reassured Jason softly his gaze returning to Pythagoras quickly. He had spoke. Surely that was an improvement?

Pythagoras went silent for a few more minutes. When he opened his mouth again his breathing had become struggled as he tried to hold onto his emotions. He didn't want to cry but he couldn't help it. He continued staring at his lap, his eyes narrowing as he tried to find the words that wouldn't come. Eventually the power of speech came returned. He licked his lips because they had gone dry from breathing through his mouth before speaking.

"H-He would have hurt her... Then he would have hurt Arcas... and me when she was gone."

"You protected your family, Pythagoras. Nobody can blame you for that." Said Jason gently, rubbing his thumb over the top of Pythagoras' hands slowly.

Pythagoras nodded, still looking down. A couple of tears ran down his cheek and neither he, nor Jason, made any movement to wipe them away. They dripped onto the blankets, making the only sound in the room. Pythagoras released one of Jason's hands.

"He was hitting her." He raised his arm above his head making short, jagged motions to demonstrate. His hands shook a lot he while did so as his emotions threatened to over spill. "He was doing it over.. and over. S-So I hit him back... just once... and then I pushed him. He fell... He hit his head... and then he didn't move." Tears now flowed freely down his cheeks, his words became incomprehensible and slurred and he let Jason bring his hand down from the air. "J-Jason, I'm a murderer... Why did you not allow me to die?"

Pythagoras brought his gaze up from his lap to meet Jason's sorrowful eyes. Jason noticed every small emotion that radiated itself off the man's face. He looked nervous, as if Jason was about to reject him now. As if he was going to tell him that he was disgusted by him. He was going to release his hands and walk out the room. He wasn't going to want anything to do with a branded murderer.

He looked exhausted too. His mind working overtime to process what had happened that day. Who exactly knew? Was he supposed to hide what he had done?

However Jason noticed the smallest glimmer of something else. It was hope. He hoped that Jason would stay with him. He hoped he would just kiss him and tell him he loved him. They would go to bed and this would all be over. He tried to hope for peace.

"Because you're not a murderer, Pythagoras. You are brave. You stood up for your mother, and your brother and yourself. That is something not many children would have been able to do. You took care of your family and you were simply trying to stop something that shouldn't have happened in the first place. It is not right for a father to hit his family. Pythagoras you were freeing yourself. I cannot imagine what it must have felt like to see your father hurting your mother because my father never did anything like that. All I know is that to lose a member of your family is heart breaking and you feel responsible for that. I understand. But please Pythagoras you are kind and wonderful and amazing. Your intelligence astounds me even to this day. So please, it's not your fault. I did not allow you to die because I wanted to save you. Because you're someone worth saving."

Pythagoras listened to the kind words that his lover spoke. He watched as Jason allowed himself to cry this time, not even trying to hold back like Pythagoras had done. Jason spoke with pride about him and that was something he couldn't ever have imagined hearing. He had broken out into a smile towards the end of his small speech as he listed off the amazing qualities that Pythagoras had. Pythagoras allowed himself to smile back. Jason's last words replayed over in his head.

_I wanted to save you. Because you're someone worth saving._

What Jason didn't know is that it was that it wasn't the first time Jason had saved him.

He had been thinking about his Father's death far too much before Jason had arrived. He wanted that black stone in the Minotaur sacrifice. He had thought that if he received the black stone then he wouldn't have to live with the knowledge of how his father had really died. He wouldn't have to live with himself. But then the day before the drawing of the stones Jason had arrived. Unaware and confused there was someone other than Hercules in his life. There was someone that he could teach the workings of their world and explain their strange traditions too.

Jason had found out that his father was also dead that night. Pythagoras had noticed that he seemed to take it well enough. He didn't seem emotional as he would have thought. He was getting on with his life. He was working past that moment and focusing on the day.

When the day rose he had drawn that black stone and it was the stone that he'd wanted to get. He had felt relieved that he would be going and he could take his secrets with him.

But he'd spent that day talking to Jason, finding out about him and what he'd been through to get there. This man was strange and... amazing. Then he looked at that stone. The stone that could end it all. But he didn't want it now. He didn't want to die! He wanted to stay with Jason. This extraordinary man that used words that he didn't understand and complained about the heat.

When he'd woken to find the stone missing a second wave of relief had washed over him. Once he'd realised who had taken that stone couldn't sit back. What point was there in continuing to live if what he was going to live for was going to die? There was none. He couldn't just leave Jason to die. This man had made him realise a lot in two days. Maybe that he loved Jason, but most importantly that he could live with himself. He didn't need to give up just yet.

This all flashed through Pythagoras' mind in a moment and his eyes searched Jason's in a way to tell him what he felt. But how could he tell him all that in a simple way. The answer? He couldn't. Instead Pythagoras spoke only two words that were bound to leave Jason just a little confused for he would never really know why they were being spoken.

"Thank you."


End file.
